QT 31 Jul 18, Rev 21:2, God's creation is beautiful

Revelation 21:2 (ESV) — And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

NOTE: Our new home is an interstellar city. The dimensions, discussed later, are unbelievable and suggest some form of artificial or God-created gravity. The city is beautiful, because everything God does is beautiful. Beauty is part of his nature. Our sin-marred nature enjoys beauty but somehow just destroys it in all of our endeavors. Our creations of beauty, called art, fall so far short of anything in God's creation. Real art is not found on a canvas, but is found in creation. Nothing against art and some people are incredibly talented, but nothing compares to the beauty of the creator.

PRAYRE: Father, open my eyes and help me to see real beauty. Help me to look beyond the sin-marred landscape of lives and land, and see the original creation. Thank you for giving us beauty and giving us the ability to enjoy beauty.

QT 30 Jul 18, Rev 21:1, Rest in God's wisdom and plan

Revelation 21:1 (ESV) — Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

NOTE: I wonder why there is no longer a sea. It does not say that there is no longer lakes or water, but there is no sea. Seventy percent of the earth is sea, but the new earth will be different. And so will the stars. What does that mean? Will we be on a new planet? Will God recreate the entire universe? It says they passed away. Does that mean that God removed them or that it burn out in x billion years? It does not say. What do we learn from this new verse? God has the power to recreate the mess that we created in our x thousands of years of existence on the planet. God is infinitely powerful. God has a plan. God can do whatever he chooses. God is only limited where he chooses to be limited. I need to trust God in all things. That is hard. It is not his power that I must trust in, but his will and his plan. I need to have faith in that plan.

PRAYER: Father forgive me for my lack of faith so often. What I see as failures is you working your will for my life. It is hard because I can't see the final design. Help me to rest in your control.

QT 27 Jul 18, Rev 20:12-15, Being a part of the second resurrection is not a good thing

Revelation 20:12–15 (ESV) — 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

NOTE: I think what is not understood is that being judged for what you have done is a losing proposition. The bible says that there is no one who does good. All have turned aside. So being judged by your works is an automatic trip to the lake of fire because no one can meet God's standard. The only way to avoid this conclusion is to accept the gift of salvation that is offered in Jesus Christ. Accept his payment on the cross for my sins. Repent of my sins. And believe that he has paid my sins for all eternity. If a person believes, he is born again and escapes the second resurrection (he becomes part of the first). Otherwise, he will die again, but this time in a lake of fire.

PRAYER: Father thank you that 40 years ago, you opened my eyes to my sin and showed me the way out. Thank you for the new creature you created in me, starting at that point so many years ago. Thank you for all that you have taken me through to bring me where I am at today. Thank you and praise you.

QT 26 Jul 18, Rev 20:7-10, We don't really understand holiness

Revelation 20:7–10 (ESV) — 7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

NOTE: This makes it pretty clear that the lake of fire, the second death, is not elimination but eternal torment. We struggle with that concept. For many, this is a place where people create an idol by saying that "my God would never do such a thing." But the definition of God does not come from our conscience or earthly intelligence, but from the word of God. The problem is not our sense of justice or mercy, it is our misunderstanding of holiness and the ugliness of sin. We don't properly place sin where God places it. Consequently, we can't understand eternal torment. It is not that God is unjust or unmerciful -- the cross is the clear evidence that is untrue -- the problem (in our understanding) is that we don't see God as Holy in the same way that He sees himself (or Isaiah saw him). I think if we truly understood holiness, we would not be surprised.

PRAYER: Father, I don't know if I want to understand your holiness. I would be paralyzed by the world around me. I would faint at how terribly we have strutted and stomped over your holiness. I would be sickened. I would wonder how you could have even showed the mercy you did show at the cross. I would be at a loss to know how to respond. Instead, I ask for small glimpses so that I can understand and know you better.

QT 25 Jul 18, Rev 20:4-5, The future is affected by how we live now

Revelation 20:4–5 (ESV) — 4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.

NOTE: While we cannot earn our salvation by anything we do hear on life, there are rewards for believers who have lived faithful lives. God promises 5 different crowns for service. God says that we will rule in the new kingdom. Of course, we will have resurrected bodies, having occurred at the rapture, and we will not be susceptible to the sinful dangers of leadership today. We will understand that true leadership is servant leadership, a deep heartfelt love for others. The tribulations saints will also reign with the church. Since the group is separated from the church by its description, I wonder if its role will also be different. Whatever the final facts, life will be so much different from the mess that exists today.

PRAYER: Father, open our eyes to our own folly. The farther we move away from you, the more chaos overtakes the system. We need to be born again and saved from our sin. Thank you Jesus that you provided that salvation. I pray we Christians would be bold to share it with others by our life and our words.

QT 23 Jul 18, Rev 20:1-3, We cannot live without God

Revelation 20:1–3 (ESV) — 1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

NOTE: The obvious question is why? We failed when God walked with us in the garden. We failed on our own. We failed with the introduction of governments. We failed when God selected one nation to be his ambassadors. We failed after God came to earth in human form to redeem us from our sins. We failed when Christians were removed from the earth (duh). We (the unregenerate) fail when Jesus rules on the earth (the rebellion at the end of the millennium). So what do we learn? In and of ourselves, we fail spiritually in all that we do. Only God ruling in our hearts and a resurrected body can save us from ourselves.

PRAYER: Father forgive us for our arrogance. Save us from ourselves. Restore us to you. Restore us to humility and service.

QT 19 Jul 18, Acts 17:30-31, Pain is God's megaphone that the world is not as he intended

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
12	Acts 17:22-34	7/19	Acts 17:30–31 (ESV) — 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”	The world is not the way God intended. In the garden, God gave us what we wanted, independence from his rule (his commands) and he also gave us the consequences. It is easy to look at the pain in the world and wonder if God exists. But the reality is that the pain in the world is intended to remind us of our rebellion and our need to repent. God is not pleased with evil. He has fixed a day to judge the earth by Jesus. He will restore the earth as he intended with him ruling and it will be far different than what we experience today. But the key is that we need to repent of the rebellion that we are part.	Father, open our eyes to our own evil. Help us to patiently wait for the day when you will restore all things. May we stand up against the evil in the world in the meantime. Let us not shrink back. What you call sin, is sin. It is not good. It is nothing to be prideful about.

QT 18 Jul 18, Act 17:18, We need to honestly seek truth and not hide it away

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
12	Acts 17:16-21	7/18	Acts 17:18 (ESV) — Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.	People are always trying to categorize the gospel in a box or dismiss it in some way. We respond to truth in a classic Babylonian way. We believe we are own gods and we decide our own fate. In the garden we rebelled against God and his commands. Today, we actively continue that rebellion in all ways possible. Things that God calls sin, we call good. We rejoice in our wickedness and take PRIDE in our rebellion. Nowadays, our category for Paul's message is myth and stories for the weak of mind. But our pride has blinded us to even the idea of investigating the truth that was spoken (yea, lived) 2000 years ago.	Father, forgive us for our stupidity. Open our eyes to truth. May we not hide from it. Can things get any worse spiritually for us as a nation, and a world? I'm sure it is so, but it would be so painful. Have mercy on us.

QT 17 Jul 18, 1 Cor 6:20, A Christian really does not own his life anymore, it is owned by God and should be operated by God

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
12	1 Cor 6:12-16	7/17	1 Corinthians 6:20 (ESV) — for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.	I have been bought at a terrible price. The price is so high that it is beyond my comprehension, except that it saved me from eternal torment and pain. God gave his own son so that I might experience eternal life with him. Therefore, I (we) have an obligation to God. We are to use the life we have been given for his glory. We can't live for ourselves when such a high price has been given.	Father, help me to keep my focus on my calling. Continue to use me in new ways and new ministries, but may I never forget how high a price you paid to save me.

QT 16 Jul 18, 1 Cor 6:2-3, We are to judge in the millennial kingdom -- what are we doing to get ready?

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
12	1 Cor 6:6-11	7/16	1 Corinthians 6:2–3 (ESV) — 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!	Here is some insight into our role in the Millennial kingdom. This verse may even define what it means to rule, since to be a judge is to rule over people. I wonder if part of the seven years after the rapture will be a time where we are learning what it means to judge according to the Word of God. Otherwise, it does not seem like we would be good judges. We have so many misinformed opinions of scripture. I may not understand how it will all work out, but I am sure, God does.	Lord, help us to live NOW in such a way as to bring glory to your name and not shame. Help me to be an example of Christ-likeness to everyone around me. I don't know if I will serve in a leadership position or not, but I do want to portray Christ no matter the job.

QT 13 Jul 18, John 14:1-3, We don't need to worry, we have a glorious promised future

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
11	John 14:1-11	7/13	John 14:1–3 (ESV) — 1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.	It is exciting to think that there is a place prepared for us and that Jesus is coming again to take us to our new home. Knowing a little of the inherent beauty of the earth, I cannot imagine how beautiful our new home will be. I know that it will be glorious. I know that life will have meaning and purpose. I know that we will finally reach what we were originally created, a relationship with the most high.	Father, the words of Jesus provide great comfort. Whatever pain this world throws at us, the future will be so much different. Whatever evil rules now, good will reign in the future. Evil has disguised itself as a greater good, but it is not. It does not provide the real life that you promise.

QT 12 July 18, Acts 4:12, Christianity does not mix with other faiths, it is one way or no way

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
11	Acts 4:1-12	7/12	Acts 4:12 (ESV) — And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”	Peter did not flinch from the truth, Jesus is the only way to salvation. Yes, Christianity is exclusive. Actually, Ravi Zacharias argues that all religions are to a degree. And it doesn't make sense for it not to be exclusive. If Jesus says that he is the Son of God and that he is the way, the truth, and the life, then by definition, he is either completely right or completely wrong. God cannot lie. You can't mix Christianity with other faiths. It is a logical impossibility. If Jesus was not who he claimed to be, the Christianity is false. If Jesus was who he claimed to be, all other religions are false.	Father open our eyes to truth and logic. Free us from our emotional decision making process and help us to see truth, absolute truth. Un-blind us so that we can think.

QT 11 Jul 18, Rom 1:21-22, The outcome of rebellion from God is deeper levels of stupidity and foolishness

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
11	Rom 1:18-23	7/11	Romans 1:21–22 (ESV) — 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,	God says "they became futile in their thinking" because they did not honor God or give thanks to him. That is the problem with the world. As long as we continue deny God, disobey God, flaunt our rebellion, and believe we are our own gods, we will become more stupid. We will think we are becoming smarter and more sophisticated, but the opposite will happen, and we won't even recognize it.	Father, we need to pursue your word above everything else. Only your word and your Holy Spirit can prevent the decay that is destroying our culture, our world, and even our own lives. Father, forgive us. Renew our love for the Word of God.

QT 10 Jul 18, Matt 28:16-17, We need to believe

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
11	Matt 28:11-20	7/10	Matthew 28:16–17 (ESV) — 16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.	I am assuming that some of the disciples on the mountain were other than the eleven. In Corinthians, Paul argues that there were almost 500 at the mountain. So, were the ones who doubted, true believers? Isn't doubt against belief? But we all doubt at various times, it is a weakness of human nature or more likely a part of our sin nature. But I think this is a stronger doubt then just the attacks our sinful nature. I think there were ones among them who didn't believe.	Father, there are those who don't believe the gospel in our midst. I pray that you would open their eyes to their self-deception. I pray they might understand what true eternal life is

QT 9 Jul 18, Matt 28:8, The glorious news of the resurrection

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
11	Matt 28:1-10	7/9	Matthew 28:8 (ESV) — So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.	How does anyone respond to angels telling you that a person, different from anyone you ever knew, has risen from the dead. He is going before you and will meet you back at your home in Galilee. Fear, yes. And great joy, yes. In fact, unbelievable joy. And with that, tremendous tears. It seems almost too unbelievable and too great. But it is true, my savior rose from the dead. He conquered death, the most difficult of all the punishments we received after rebelling in the garden. What an amazing day in history. What an amazing day for all of us who believe. He is the Firstfruits of a much larger harvest which will include all those who believe.	Father, it is glorious news. I can feel the joy and fear of the ladies in my own heart. What glorious news. And how unworthy we are to share in the resurrection. But thanks be to Jesus, whose death has removed our sin and paid the penalty of our rebellion.

QT 6 Jul 18, 2 Tim 1:13, Our degree of spirituality is not based on vocation but on willingness to know God

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
10	2 Tim 1:8-18	7/6	2 Timothy 1:13 (ESV) — Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.	I am always a little amazed at Paul's speech when he asks people to follow his example. My amazement is that I am not sure I could make the same claim. A religious person would answer, "well, of course you are not the Apostle Paul, the saint, the leader of the Gentile church." But the reasoning behind that way of thinking is based on a faulty assumption that the clergy are different from the laity--they are not. They may have a "calling," but spiritually there is no difference. Every child of God can have the same deep intense spiritual relationship with God as the most devout member of the clergy. News flash: your pastor is no different from you in almost every matter of life and especially spiritual things. He does get paid to spend time in the word of God, and that can contribute to a difference, but it does not have to.	Father, we are so stupid to think of spirituality as defined by position. Spirituality is the result of seeking you in spirit and truth. We can all know you and live for you in a manner worthy of you. We just need to choose. Help me to be that man in everything I do.

QT 5 Jul 18, Phil 2:19, A real Christian lives for others

Week	Passage	Date	Verse	Thought	Prayer
10	Phil 2:19-30	7/5	Philippians 2:19 (ESV) — 19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you.	Timothy and Epaphroditus were key men in Paul's ministry. Both were more concerned for others than they were concerned for their own lives. They were true disciples, not selfish religious zealots. There is a big difference. Jesus Christ changes a life from a self-centered man to an other-centered man. If you are not other-centered, maybe you have not been changed by Jesus.	Father, help us to see the example of these men and to follow it. Help us to live sacrificial lives that esteems others as more important than ourselves. Help us to live for the kingdom and not for our contentment.